Turbo equalization is a technique used with data transmission over channels with intersymbol interference (ISI), such as magnetic recording channels. Systems employing turbo equalization often utilize a special permutation of code symbols, which is performed by an interleaver, to improve the performance of forward error correcting (FEC) codes used by these systems. Most decoders for FEC codes work best under the assumption of a uniform distribution of errors. However, in magnetic recording channels, errors typically occur in bursts rather than uniformly due primarily to error events introduced by an equalizer between neighboring symbols. The interleaver permutes codeword symbols in an attempt to create a more uniform distribution of errors.